North Star with Ellin Bessner

As the rabbinic leader at Temple Sinai Congregation in Toronto, Rabbi Michael Dolgin has gotten used to speaking to a crowd. But now Dolgin and an all-Canadian cast are appearing in a new commercial about combating antisemitism that was filmed completely in Toronto in January, mainly in the Kensington Market. The ad was commissioned by the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, set up in 2019 by Robert Kraft, the American Jewish billionaire philanthropist and owner of the New England Patriots. The ripped-from-the-headlines story shows how an American teenager's bar mitzvah service was interrupted by a bomb threat in Massachusetts just days after Hamas's attack on Israel last October. The stranded Jewish worshippers had to evacuate the building, but found themselves quickly welcomed in by an Evangelical church across the road in Attleboro. On today's episode of The CJN Daily, Rabbi Dolgin joins to describe why the role was actually created with him in mind—and what he hopes the ad will do, now that it is out online and will air at the Oscars telecast on March 10. [Ed note: the interview was done when the cast was told their ad would be aired during the Super Bowl in February, however the organizers chose to use one with a former speechwriter for Dr. Martin Luther King.] What we talked about Watch the new commercial Read more about the behind the scenes of the Canadian-filmed ad, in The CJN. Learn more about the Ernie’s Books project run by Liberation 75, which distributes free Holocaust books to Grade 6 students and their teachers Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me.

When the trustees of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board convene their monthly public meeting on Tuesday Jan. 30, the trustee for Zone 9, Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth, will not be permitted to participate. It’s a result of the sanctions imposed on the high-profile physician, back in December, for what the board voted were breaches of their trustees’ code of conduct. In effect, the sanctions bar her from fully carrying out her elected role, which also means keeping her off five school board committees for the next three months. Kaplan-Myrth maintains she did nothing to justify the punishments in what she calls an “Orwellian” situation. Rather, she feels the code of conduct has been weaponized because she was forcefully pointing out how the Ottawa school board and some of its trustees routinely ignore her situation as a victim of rampant antisemitism and sexism: she has been the target of constant hateful emails and even death threats, including several currently being handled by police. Kaplan-Myrth has now asked for a leave of absence while she appeals the sanctions through the court system and elsewhere. But with two and a half years left on her term, the beleaguered trustee tells _The CJN Daily _why being in public life may not be worth it for Jewish women like herself. What we talked about: Learn more about the sanctions imposed on Kaplan-Myrth in December 2023, after an investigation into her conduct during meetings and during disputes with some of the other 11 trustees, in The CJN Read about the threats Kaplan-Myrth has received for her stance on COVID and masking, and also for being a Jewish woman, in The CJN (from 2022) Read the full report by the Ottawa school board’s integrity commissioner on complaints about the behaviour of three trustees, including Kaplan-Myrth, Donna Dixon and Donna Blackburn Credits: The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me.

What did Friday’s International Court of Justice ruling mean? Did Israel actually get convicted of carrying out genocide on the Palestinian people in Gaza during its three-month military campaign that began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7? Why did Israel’s own judge on the panel, Aharon Barak, vote against his country in some rulings? And what happens now? While the ICJ didn’t tell Israel to stop the war, it also didn’t throw out South Africa’s genocide charges altogether: they could be something the court looks into down the road. The ruling worries Canadian human rights lawyer Tamara Kronis, who fears it gives Jew haters around Canada even more ammunition to ramp up their public protests and hateful attacks, like the one this past weekend against a synagogue in Fredericton, N.B. Kronis has worked as a prosecutor in The Hague. She wasn’t expecting the ICJ to come back with a ruling so soon. South Africa and Israel put forward their oral arguments before the 17 judges only two weeks earlier. Kronis returns to The CJN Daily with an insider’s analysis of the ICJ’s provisional measures imposed on Israel—and what happens next. What we talked about: Hear Tamara Kronis explain how the UN’s International Court of Justice works, and what was at stake for Israel, on The CJN Daily from earlier in January 2024 Read Canada’s official reaction to the ICJ ruling in The CJN Watch the taped video showing the ICJ presiding judge read their ruling on imposing provisional measures against Israel Read more about how Fredericton is reacting to the vandalism on the city’s only synagogue in The CJN, and donate to help the synagogue carry out repairs and install a security system Credits: The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me.

A Federal Court judge has ruled that the Trudeau government broke the Charter of Rights by invoking the Emergencies Act to stop the truckers’ convoy in 2022. In today’s encore presentation of The CJN Daily (because Ellin is still sick) we revist her interview with Benjamin Dichter, who rose to fame as a spokesperson for the Freedom Convoy that overtook Ottawa (and other parts of Canada) in 2022. Since then, the Toronto resident and part time trucker has become a known quantity in conservative and right-wing media circles, appearing on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News program and earned an endorsement from Jordan Peterson for a new self-published book about his experience: Honking for Freedom: The Trucker Convoy that Gave us Hope. Dichter calls the protest a success because most provinces – and eventually the federal government – did lift their COVID vaccine mandates, and Ottawa got rid of the controversial ArriveCan app. But Dichter is still feeling the ramifications of his involvement with the convoy, including how the federal government unleashed the rarely used Emergencies Act to freeze his and other key protesters’ bank accounts. There’s still the massive lawsuit launched against the convoy leaders by residents of downtown Ottawa. Underlying his story is the fact that Dichter wasn’t just the convoy spokesperson—he’s also their biggest Jewish face. In this extensive interview with The CJN Daily, Dichter explains his decision to reveal his Jewish identity publicly, and how the convoy organizers felt about Nazi imagery in their protests. What we talked about: Find Dichter's book Watch Dichter’s testimony before the Emergencies Act inquiry on Nov. 3, 2022 (starts at 2:32:05) Hear The CJN Daily's stories about the freedom convoy: Jews who supported the cause, locals who opposed it and the original outrage at the Nazi imagery within Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here.

In one of 2023’s buzziest blockbuster films—Oppenheimer, about the real-life head of the top-secret wartime Manhattan Project—the film’s director neglected to include an important Canadian figure. A Jewish scientist from Winnipeg, Louis Slotin, was a key part of the team of groundbreaking researchers at the Los Alamos atomic laboratories. He helped build and assemble the bombs that would be dropped on Japan in 1945, ultimately ending the Second World War. Slotin’s family thought he was researching medical uses for nuclear radiography. They only learned the truth after he was killed in a controversial experiment after the war had ended. Slotin received an immense—and fatal—dose of radiation, but not before he heroically saved everyone else in the room by separating unstable plutonium pieces with his bare hands. Slotin died in Los Alamos in 1946 at age 35. On The CJN Daily, Slotin’s surviving Canadian relatives Beth Shore and Rael Ludwig both of Winnipeg, join to tell their uncle’s story, in hopes the world will learn more about what Oppenheimer overlooked. What we talked about Learn more about the “Trinity” nuclear bomb test of July 16, 1945, and see original silent film of Louis Slotin as part of the Manhattan Project, from the Trinity Remembered website Read Beth Shore’s tribute to her late uncle Louis Slotin on the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba website Learn more about scientist Louis Slotin in Ellin’s book, Double Threat: Canadian Jews, the Military and WWII, published by the University of Toronto Press Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer..Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here.

A note to listeners: I am sick in bed with the flu and have lost my voice (since Friday). Apologies, but there is no new show today. Check The CJN.ca website for the latest breaking news or catch up on episodes you might have missed-like this one, just ahead of Tu B’Shevat later this week: about how Canadian synagogues are going green. The yearly observance—which some consider the Jewish Earth Day—sees more Jewish congregations embracing sustainable Judaism year-round: they’ve installed solar panels on the roof, put LED lights in the sanctuary, and stopped using disposable paper plates at Kiddush. And in Vancouver, over a dozen Jewish sites are really buying in, hoping to earn a “Seal of Sustainability.” On this encore episode of The CJN Daily, Rabbi Shlomo Schachter of Schara Tzedeck Synagogue joins, along with Ariel Greene, head of the shul’s sustainability committee.

Did you know the late Toronto men’s fashion retailer Harry Rosen actually paid for his first store with a bag of quarters? Or that George Cohon, the lawyer who founded McDonald’s restaurants in Central and Eastern Canada, later brought Big Macs and fries to the USSR? In the last few months, Canada’s Jewish community said goodbye to Rosen, Cohon and many other esteemed community builders. And on today’s episode of The CJN Daily’s Honourable Menschen, we pay tribute to these honourable men and women. You’ll hear about Zelda Young, who hosted a daily Jewish radio show for nearly four decades; Holocaust survivors and educators Vera Schiff of Toronto, Willie Glaser of Montreal and Toronto Rabbi Erwin Schild, who lived to be 104; McGill professor Gershon Hundert, a world-renowned giant of Jewish academia; toy store owner Harry Bricks; and Moishe Goldstein, the father of longtime CJN editor-in-chief Yoni Goldstein. At a time when so many are mourning what’s happening abroad, and are anxious about what the future might hold here in Canada, it feels all the more important to honour the incredible impact on our country made by these recently departed Jewish men and women. CJN reporter emeritus Ron Csillag joins host Ellin Bessner to share the stories behind the names. What we talked about Learn more about Willie Glaser, Vera Schiff, Zelda Young, Gershon Hundert, Rabbi Erwin Schild in The CJN Learn more about xHarry Rosen, and George Cohon and Moishe Goldstein Listen to the wisdom of Rabbi Erwin Schild on The CJN Daily Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me.

Last week, at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the Jewish State was accused of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, in a case launched by South Africa. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly both gave oddly confusing statements, in which they said Canada’s support for international law “does not mean” they support South Africa’s accusations. Onlookers were confused by the phrasing—and even federal government staffers didn’t know what to make of it. It took a few days before a statement by Global Affairs Canada confirmed that the country will, in fact, abide by whatever the ICJ rules. But Israel is vehemently defending itself on the international stage, with its barristers at The Hague describing South Africa’s case a “libel” designed to prevent Israel’s right to defend itself from Hamas after Oct. 7, 2023. That’s the big takeaway for legal expert Tamara Kronis, a Canadian human rights lawyer who has worked in The Hague on other genocide cases. On The CJN Daily, Kronis walks us through the inner workings of this important court, what’s likely to happen and what it means if Israel loses. What we talked about Watch Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s comment on Canada’s position vis a vis the genocide hearing on Israel at the International Court of Justice Learn more about Tamara Kronis and about her late father Jules Kronis’s esteemed legal background in The CJN Watch Israel’s submission before the International Court of Justice on YouTube Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me.

Last week, the International Ice Hockey Federation—the sport's governing body—announced they were barring Israeli national teams from competing in crucial championship matches this winter. The move is seen by many as an unfair penalty against the Jewish State in the wake of the war with Hamas, in which an estimated 25,000 Palestinians have been killed, resulting from Hamas's terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023. IIHF officials insist their decision was not political, but instead made purely for security reasons: they couldn’t guarantee Israeli athletes' safety from protestors during upcoming matches in Bulgaria, Serbia and Estonia. Nontheless, Israel’s hockey federation has announced a legal appeal. In the meantime, the IIHF’s ruling has shocked the team's fans around the world—not to mention Israel's athletes and coaches themselves, including a handful of Canadians closely tied to Israel's hockey program. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, you’ll hear from two of them: Esther Silver, the Canadian-born manager of Israel’s women’s hockey team, and Eliezer Sherbatov, a veteran of the men’s team, now based in Montreal. What we talked about Learn more about the growing reaction to Israel’s hockey teams being blocked from international competition, in The CJN Read more about athlete Elie Sherbatov’s long hockey career, including his escape from the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and about his new book on overcoming a weak left foot condition to succeed on the ice, on The Menschwarmers’ podcast Hear about the birth of Israel’s national women’s hockey team and manager Esther Silver’s support for the players, on The CJN Daily Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me.

For the first time since Oct. 7, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several Liberal Members of Parliament met with a large group of Toronto-based Canadian Jewish leaders on Jan. 10 at Beth Tzedec synagogue in Toronto. While the prime minister’s office and community guests had to keep the details secret ahead of time for security reasons, The CJN has learned what was discussed. The group pressed the prime minister on what Canada’s position will be vis-a-vis the International Court of Justice hearings, beginning today, on genocide charges against Israel. Trudeau’s meeting in Toronto also came a month after Canada voted for a UN motion calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas—a policy change that has angered many Jewish Canadians, who see it as a betrayal of Canada’s longstanding support for Israel. The prime minister also discussed how the Jewish community is coping with the explosion of antisemitic public discourse, a surge in hate crimes and anti-Zionist protests. Trudeau later released a statement on social media saying he listened to the community’s “pain and anger and grief,” and that he remains focused on combating antisemitism and keeping Canadian Jews safe. He also described his commitment to Canadian Jews, and also to Israel as a Jewish, democratic state as “unwavering”. While the meeting was closed to the public and off the record, we at The CJN Daily spoke to several guests who were there—and who say the meeting didn’t make them feel better. On today’s episode, you’ll hear from host rabbis Steven Wernick and Robyn Fryer Bodzin, both from Beth Tzedec, and from audience member Rabbi Daniel Korobkin of the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto congregation.